As Tibet tours get opened mainly during the monsoon time; there are high chances of landslides mostly in the Nepalese part (also in the early part in Tibet). In case of landslides, to over cross them and the gap in between, extra vehicle with porters may have to be arranged. In that case, you are kindly requested to contribute nominal charges for porters and vehicle, ranging from Rs. 200 to 300 per person. We wish there will be no hassles as such.

Windhorse Trekking is specialist in Tibet tours make so adventurous journey to the world of Shangri-La-Tibet. So easy and so affordable through its various fascinating packages tours to any part of Tibet.

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You can rather take this tour as an adventure from every point of view. However, we will always put all our efforts to make your journey as pleasant as possible.

New Lhasa or the Chinese section is based around the base of the Potala. It is somewhat modernized in comparison to the older section with straight broad streets and utilitarian buildings that houses the Chinese style department stores and Govt. offices. People in this section mostly Chinese live in ' work units ' or barrack like buildings inside a walled compound and an enormous gateway.

Even though Lhasa is moving at a rapid pace towards modernization it still has not lost its values and it still is a city that can easily catch one's imagination.

Some of the main site of Lhasa are Potala palace, Norbulingka - The summer palace, Jokhang temple, Sera monastery and Drepung Monastery.

SHIGATSE : It is the second largest city of Tibet at an altitude of 3,900m (12,800ft). Most of the west central Tibet is covered by it and it used to be the administrative center of the vast area known formerly as Tsang. It is near the confluence of the Yarlong Tsangpo and Nyangchu rivers. It is also one of Tibet's richest farming areas with Barley, rape seed, wheat, beans and many varieties of vegetables coloring the valley floor with green in the summer and and bright yellow in June and July due to the rape seeds in full bloom.
It used to be a fortress and a monastery city. Much of its past is tainted by the centuries of struggle to control Tibet. The tug of war between the new yellow hat and the old red hat sects covers most of its history. The evidence of the existence of these conflicts back then can be still seen from the Yellow Hat Tashilhunpo Monastery to the Red Hat Shalu Monastery. And above else the counter clockwise swastikas on walls and floors of some of the houses shows the traces of Bon religion still surviving in the presence time.

At the western tip of Shigatse beneath Mt. Dromari lies Tashilhunpo monastery, one of Tibet's four greatest monasteries. Other monasteries like the Shalu Monastery which was renowned as a center of scholarly learning and psychic training. This monastery was famous for its beautiful mural paintings of which only few survives. It was the first major monastery built by the powereful noble families of Tsang. Only the outer wall and the main building with damaged roofs of this once beautiful monastery still stands. Other such monastery is the Narthang (Ladang) Monastery. It used to have five main buildings and a chanting hall built in the Mongolian style with priceless 14 century mural until 1966 when it was destroyed completely. This monastery was famous for its scriptural teachings and as the oldest of Tibet's three great printing centres which printed Buddhist scriptures, The kanjur and tenjur until 1959. Shigatse also has a summer palace of the Panchen lamas built in 1950 like the Norbulingka of Lhasa but not as well maintained its counterpart in Lhasa.

GYANTSE :Gyantse used to be Tibet's third most important city. It is at an altitude of 3,800m (12,465ft.). It is about 210km (130 miles) from Lhasa and 95km (60 miles) from Shigatse. It was the center of Tibet's wool trade and a gateway to the outside world. It used to be a fort city. It is divided into two parts by a high rocky ridge topped by a ruined fortress. On the west are the parts of the old city with the main market street and a large monastery complex whereas the east side has the other section of the old city, a rug factory and the principle approach to the fortress above.
Gyantse was a major exporter of wool and a prominent trading center by 15 century. The fortress of Dzong withstood attacks by Nepalese Gurkhas, Sikhs and the Ladakhis until it fell to the foreign power in 1904 to the British and was overpowered by the modern ammunitions.

Some of the major sites of Gyantse are the Phalkor Monastery and the Kumbum stupa.

The Potala remained the center for political and religious power for the Dalai Lamas. At the present state only a small part of this palace is open to public.

NORBULINGKA PALACE :Norbulingka is the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas. It was first built in 1755 by the seventh Dalai lama and later his successive rulers added their own buildings to it. Norbulingka means ' Jewel Park '. Though now it is called People's Park with palaces, pavilions, zoo, gardens and woods covering 40 hectares (100 acres) of land. It lies 3km (2miles) west of Potala. The park has an elaborate gate of entry built by the thirteenth Dalai lama with huge red doors and White lions as the guardians. The New summer palace built by the present Dalai lama is enclosed within a walled garden. The rooms of these palace are primarily the main throne hall which has murals depicting Tibet's mythical early history from its founding by the holy monkey to the event of King Songtsen Gampo's building of Jokhang Temple. Besides this other rooms are the Dalai Lamas private apartment, an audience hall and his mothers apartment.

The Old summer palace built in the 18th century is somewhat in ruin but the restoration work is still in progress. There are vast gardens and woods and a Zoo at the west side with collection of Tibetan animals like the snow lynx, white bibbed Himalayan bears, fanged deer and the red ring tailed lesser pandas.

At the far side is the group of temples called Kasang. The main temple has a superb collection of thangkas. There are also 48 jewelled brocaded Boddhisattvas and Taras in glass cases along with the Dalai lamas throne.


JOKHANG TEMPLE :It is the most holy place for the Tibetan pilgrims and the spiritual center of Tibet. It is one of the two temples built by the King Songtsen Gampo to house the statues of Buddha brought by his two foreign wives, one from China and one from Nepal. Legend has it that the King threw his ring into the air promising to build a temple wherever it lands. The ring fell into a lake and hit a rock beneath where a white stupa appeared miraculously. Workmen then proceeded with their work to build the temple and filled the lake with stones. Craftsmen from Tibet, Nepal, China and Kashmir were brought to build it and Jokhang was finally built. Even today a pond exists under its main courtyard.

The temple consists of an elaborate porch leading to an open courtyard. usually these courtyard and porch are filled with pilgrims making full length prostrations towards the holy sanctum, A passage leads to a main hall where there is the sacred shrine holding the ancient Buddha statue at the rear end of this hall. There are numerous small chapels enshrining variety of Tibetan deities. The passage leading to it has guardian statues - fierce on the left and benign on the right. Also there are murals depicting Wen Cheng, the Chinese wife of king Songtsen Gampo, coming to Tibet with the statue and also the pictures of the building of Jokhang. In the middle of the hall are two huge images of Padmasambhava and Sakyamuni and between them the eleven headed, Chenrezi - the Boddhisattva of compassion. The roof enjoys as different atmosphere. Here, there are numerous pavilions, craftsmen's workshops, monks living rooms and the gold roofs embellished with bells, birds, dragons etc.

The deep roots of spirituality of this place can be felt in its innumerable flickering Butter lamps, the distant murmuring of the mantras and the pilgrims moving in clockwise direction towards the sacred statue.

SERA MONASTERY :Sera means ' The merciful hail ' as opposed to Drepung which means ' Rice heap '. As the hail destroys rice here the rivalry between these two monasteries can be clearly seen. Sera lies on the northern edge of Lhasa at the base of Tatipu hill. Founded in 1419 by one of Tsong Khapa's eight disciple, it became renowned for its tantric teachings. The monks of Sera especially the warrior monks or the dob-dobs were greatly admired as well as feared.

A long driveway leads up to the monastery. A central lane runs through the monastery complex. West side of this lane contains the Chanting hall of the Gyetzang college whose holy west chapel contains the awesome horse headed demon God named Ayaguriba whose origin is supposed to be from Bon religion. There is a debating garden behind this building where novices practice for their examinations as well as have their examinations here. On the east mountainside are the rock paintings most notable being the blue Yamantaka with Prajina, wrathful form of Boddhisattva of wisdom. Other such paintings are of Tsong Khapa, founder of the Yellow Hat sect and that of Sera's first abbot Sakya Yeshe.

The Tsug-gyeng college can be entered form here with Sera's greatest treasure in its east chapel, a gilded Chenrezi with hundreds of hands and eyes and a huge Maitreya which can be seen from both its chanting hall and its roof. Then there are also the Ngawa and Drezame college's chanting halls. The latter being the remarkable of the two for its vestibule murals.

About 1km east of Sera is an isolated rock for ' Sky burials '. Here Tibetans break the bodies of their dead into small pieces and feed them to the birds at dawn. These body breakers are known as domdens. This type of process seemed to have originated due to the frozen ground which prevents normal burials and scarce fuel which prevents from cremating the body.

DREPUNG MONASTERY :Drepung means ' Rice Heap ' because of the jumble of the white building piled up against Mount Gyengbuwudze . It lies 8km (5 miles) west of Lhasa. It was the biggest and the richest monastery in Tibet with Lamas who trained each young Dalai lama. Drepung housed Nechung or the state oracle who uttered prophecies on whose basis the rulers based their vital decisions.
Built in 1416 by a disciple of Tsong Khapa, the fifth Dalai lama was the one who enlarged and ruled the monastery. The monastery was divided into four different colleges each with their own chanting halls, dormitories and kitchens and offices. The Chanting halls are all faced southwards with a courtyard in front and are decorated with murals. These halls should be walked in clockwise direction. On the right of Drepung is Nechung temple which used to be the oracle's home. Nuosenle college's chanting hall is adorned with splendid murals and chapels with tombs of the second, third and fourth Dalai lama. To the west is Tsug-gyeng college. Its roof houses Drepung's treasures. On the west side of the roof is a chapel with a covered porch at front containing its Holy of the holies, a giant gilded Buddha whose head and chest alone are visible. It also holds a sacred conch shell with a counter clockwise whorls. On east is a chapel containing oracle dolls which are said to have spoken to special lamas in the past and Tsong Khapa's tooth in a gold reliquary. Pilgrims come here to prostrate.

The small chanting hall of Ngapa college has exquisite gold drawings on its red doors depicting the history of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen lamas. There is a three tiered building known as Ganden Podrang from where the fifth Dalai Lama reigned while the Potala palace was under construction. A path from the west side of the monastery leads to the Holy Mt. Gyengbuwudze which involves a hard half day hike to the top.